Etihad Airways to launch flights to Azerbaijan

Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Etihad Airways has announced plans to launch scheduled flights between Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and Baku, the capital city of the Republic of Azerbaijan, effective 2 March 2018.

The new route is being introduced to capitalise on the
strong and growing demand for flights between the United Arab Emirates and
Azerbaijan. The service will be operated three times a week using a 136-seat
Airbus A320, configured with 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy.

Azerbaijan introduced a visa waiver programme for UAE
nationals in November 2015 and expanded it to other GCC nations in early 2016.
This prompted a surge in travel from across the GCC to the emerging tourist
destination located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, which offers visitors
access to vast areas of unspoiled nature and centuries-old culture. Baku, which
sits on the Caspian Sea, is the country’s primary gateway and commercial
centre.

Peter
Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said: “The creation of the
first ever air corridor linking the two capital cities demonstrates the
importance of strengthening business, tourism and cultural ties between the UAE
and Azerbaijan.

“The
newest destination on Etihad Airways’ global network also reflects our
commitment to linking Abu Dhabi with emerging markets that seek direct flights
and onward connections to other parts of the world.

“Based
on the growth witnessed in recent months from the UAE and neighbouring Gulf
countries to Azerbaijan, we are confident that the new route will boost traffic
from the UAE, and in turn we look forward to welcoming Azerbaijanis on our
flights to Abu Dhabi and beyond.”

During the first nine months of 2016,
foreign tourists visiting Azerbaijan totalled 1.7 million. The number of
visitors from the UAE and GCC increased 30 times on the same nine-month period
in 2015, fuelled by the easing of visa restrictions.

Earlier this year, the
UAE-Azerbaijan Joint Economic Committee said both countries were to focus on
nine key areas for bilateral cooperation, including air transport, tourism,
communications, environment, water, agriculture, renewable energy, modern
technology and industry. Non-oil trade between the two countries reached over
US$605 million in 2015, increasing by US$228 million during the first nine
months of 2016.

Etihad
Airways’ new flights, operating every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, provide
optimum timings for guests departing and arriving in Abu Dhabi and Baku. The
schedule also provides convenient connections to and from the airline’s global
network.